Masquerade
by Turtle Queen of Freeks
Summary: No, this is not a slash. Yet.
1. Planning

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters yet, but I like to think that I own a few parts of this storyline.

**Chapter 1**

**Planning**

Have you ever noticed how some people put on an act? How you act different around different people and in different places? How sometimes people lie to support the way people see them? If you haven't, it's time you looked around and started paying attention.

Draco Malfoy was one of that ever-growing group of people that lies daily and wears a mask to keep up his reputation. And of course, to keep his father from punishing him for acting against the family. Otherwise, he'd end up being beaten or even chained up in a dungeon for his so called impudence. The rich and powerful have devised many ways to torture a person. So even from that day on the train, Draco acted how his father wanted. He had plenty of practice.

Crabbe and Goyle were not his bodyguards as most people thought. He knew that very well. They were his father's spies. They had been ordered to send owls to Mr. Malfoy once a week. This was all information that Draco had been forced to find out for himself. When you're being spied on, your watchers don't usually take the time to tell you about it. If they do, they're probably just trying to distract you from something.

At first Draco just faced the facts, which, as you can guess, weren't very good. Soon, however, he began to hatch a plan that would eventually destroy his father.

You may wonder why Draco hated his father enough to even consider such a plan. Lucius Malfoy was a cruel man. He had never cared for Draco other than how having a son could help him gain power. For Lucius, there was nothing more important than power. Draco had found this out growing up and had never truly felt any kind feelings toward his father. How could he? He had no happy memories of spending time with his family. He couldn't remember a time when he had actually played. He couldn't even remember his father even bothering to say happy birthday. In other words, his childhood sucked. Dismally.

When Draco first heard that he would go to Hogwarts, he was exhilarated at the idea of a refuge from acting like his father. There was to be no refuge. Later he realized his father would be spying on him. Then he knew he had to find a way to either escape or somehow defeat his father to retain the little freedom that he had left. This wasn't very easy. Draco was only eleven years old when he began to plan, and Mr. Malfoy was in the business of controlling people. But Mr. Malfoy would be far away, and Crabbe and Goyle weren't exactly geniuses. After the few nights of thinking before he got on the train, Draco knew he would need help. His father had hundreds of people in his service, and nobody could defeat a number of people so large single-handedly. But who could help him? Who could he trust to be an ally? Who was there that would never end up in the service of the cold and calculating Lucius Malfoy?

To all these questions there was a very simple answer: Harry Potter.


	2. First Day

* * *

Chapter 2

First Day

Harry Potter was the one person who could defeat Moldy Voldy, Lucius' boss. So if Moldy Voldy was defeated, the secrets would pour out, about how Lucius had been a loyal follower of Voldemort for years and the exact number of people Lucius had tortured and killed. As the secrets became known, people who had been in his service would disappear, one by one, giving Draco a chance to defeat his father.

Now for a sort of explanation in a story that seems to have nothing to do with this. Just read it! Once upon a time in Greek mythology, there was a god named Cronus, a.k.a. the Big Bad Creepy Dude. Whenever his wife had a kid, he would eat it, so nobody would ever become more powerful than him. His wife got pretty ticked off about that, so when Zeus was born, she gave Cronus a rock to eat instead of Zeus. Well, Zeus grew up to be more powerful than his dad. One day, Zeus defeated Cronus and rescued the gods and goddesses that for some strange reason hadn't been digested yet.

Now on with the story! Once Draco had it in his shiny head that Harry could help him, he decided to become his friend from the start of things. That day on the train, Draco was nice in the only way he knew, a proposition. He didn't have much of a choice with Crabbe and Goyle there, but as you've probably guessed, eleven year olds don't respond well to propositions. Neither do rats.

Later during the sorting hat's song, Draco wondered if a Hufflepuff might help him. They were supposed to be loyal. But he thought better of it, thinking that their loyalty would only extend to friends and family. He considered Ravenclaws. They might be smart enough to help him come up with a plan. At that thought, he began his search for people to aid him in his quest for liberty.

First was Hannah Abbot. Draco took one look at her and decided she was too stupid. Same to Susan Bones. Terry Boot looked like a dork, but Mandy Brocklehurst was intriguing. She had been absolutely silent during the entire ceremony, and he couldn't even remember her being in the entrance hall beforehand. She and Blaise Zabini appeared to be friends considering they had sat together on the train. Each gave the other a look as they went to different houses. Both had appeared happy with the house they had entered, but they were doubtful at being separated. Both had dark hair, but Mandy's was brown whereas Blaise's was black. He made a mental note to try to sneak away to ask them for help. He wasn't really used to asking for help. He had been taught at an early age to be self-dependent, but that was usually a good thing. What a tragedy it would be if he were dependent on his father. Then he would never gain his independence or have his own life. His life would just be an extension of his father's, and eventually his personality would be too. That night as he lay awake, he tried to think of a plan instead of how hopeless his case was.


	3. The Note

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of his friends and/or enemies (including his relatives and teachers). I never have. I most likely will not ever own them, so is there really a point in putting this up in every dratted chappy?

Chapter 3

The Note

Apparently Draco didn't need to think of a plan. One was already being thought up in the same castle.

Mandy Brocklehurst had been thinking for hours. Being a Ravenclaw, she loved to think, but the topic that had found its way into her head was rather depressing. "Do you think there's a way out?" she asked Blaise Zabini, her best friend.

"What?" Blaise wasn't stupid; she just wasn't thinking about the same thing as Mandy.

"Some sort of escape from the day to day teasing and family problems and all the rest of it," she said slowly. She didn't have a real way of explaining the subject, although she had been thinking about it for the first two weeks of her education at Hogwarts. "Not suicide or running away. That's giving up, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did something like that. But what if there was another way to get out of the mess that life gets to be? What if there was a way to escape?"

"What if they put you in a mental institution?" Blaise joked.

"Blaise, I'm not kidding," Mandy said seriously. "There's got to be some way to escape it all. Otherwise everyone with problems in there life, which is just about everybody, would go insane from not being able to do anything about it."

"Come on," said Blaise, trying to change the subject. "We're going to be late for Potions."

Mandy nodded, but she mentally promised herself that she wouldn't just ignore the idea. It was too . . . possible.

Draco was sitting in the library reading about Occlumency, a subject he found extremely interesting. The art of shielding one's mind opened doors that Draco had never dreamed of for his great plan. Shoved between pages 164 and 165 was a slip of paper. Draco glanced at Crabbe and Goyle. They were snoring, an activity they indulged in whenever they followed Draco to the library. Draco silently unfolded the note. _Looking for an escape plan? Meet me by the lake at 10 o'clock tonight. _No names, just the message. He crumpled up the note and shoved it in his bag.

Still considering whether or not to go, he looked at the clock. When he saw that it was time for dinner, he walked off quietly to the Great Hall, hoping that he wouldn't wake Crabbe or Goyle.

Mandy watched Draco read the note, searching for answers in his expression. After her conversation with Blaise, she had decided that she needed somebody else who was looking for a way out to believe her. If her best friend wouldn't believe her, it would be hard to find somebody who would, but Draco had been relatively easy to find. It only took a few days of watching her fellow students to find out that Crabbe and Goyle weren't really his bodyguards. And if they were, Draco certainly didn't want to be guarded. This either meant that Draco was the rebellious type, which she supremely doubted, or he had a family that was really creepy. Guessing the latter, she had slipped the note into the book after noticing how far he had read into it the previous evening.

After seeing Draco leave for dinner, she got up and stretched. Watching people was incredibly boring. She would only have to wait a few hours to get her answer.


	4. By the Lake

Disclaimer: I thought we went through this already. I don't own Harry Potter or any of the gang. I like to think that I own parts of this plot and a few spots in my mind that are used to create this story. Unfortunately, being a minor I have few other rights. It's a sad world.

Chapter 4

By the Lake

"I got your message," said Draco, seeing the dark figure by the lake.

"Good," said the figure that removed her hood to show her face. "I'm Mandy Brocklehurst, and I assume that you have family problems."

"Well, I guess we don't have to tiptoe around this then," said Draco. "I'm plotting against my father, even though he has more resources than I do, and I'm only 11 years old."

"I don't know how to put this," said Mandy truthfully. "I've been thinking lately about how there's got to be some way out. Like something that can be done to escape teasing and family problems and everything. And considering the fact that everybody has problems, I thought that it would be easy to find somebody to help me with some planning. Unfortunately, even my best friend thought I was crazy when I told her. So I found you. I guess Crabbe and Goyle were appointed by your dad?"

"Yeah," said Draco regretfully. "So you're looking for a plan to get away from . . . what?"

"Most of my family doesn't know that I'm here," she said sadly. "They don't even know that I'm a witch. My mom knows, and she told the rest of the family that I'm being sent to a boarding school in Wales. Before I found out about this, I wasn't exactly popular either. I was teased every day, and I woke up dreading the whole ordeal. This is the first time that I thought about doing something about escaping." Draco nodded in understanding. "And I don't mean suicide or running away. That's giving up, and I could never live with myself if I did something like that. But I've been thinking, and there's got to be some way to get out of it. You know?"

Draco nodded. "I've been thinking about a way to escape dad's influence for a while now. And I only have a vague plan. When you-know-who dies, a lot of people are going to be mad at my dad for being a Death Eater. He'll probably figure out a way to hide somewhere, but I'll find him somehow. And frankly, I mean to kill him."

Mandy nodded in understanding. "But what are we going to do for now?" They stood in silence for a moment. "There's got to be others in the school with problems that they want to escape. What if we started a group to help each other come up with escape plans and carry them out? You said your dad has more resources. With enough people, we might actually have more resources, not to mention a better cause."

"You know what? I think this might actually work," said Draco thoughtfully. "But who else can we get to join us?"

"I don't know yet, but if we both watch everybody, we can find others who would understand this. That's how I found you."

Draco nodded. "How about we meet somewhere next week? Not here, though. Crabbe and Goyle would get suspicious. They might follow me. Is there anywhere else we could go?"

"I'll figure out a place. I'll get a note to you somehow. Good luck finding people."

"Same to you. Good night."

"Good night."


	5. Messages

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my storyline and a bag of chips. Yes, I realize how pathetic that is, but nobody asked you anyways.

Chapter 5

Messages

"Hey, Longbottom!" Neville looked up from the small pot of sage that he had been working with. It was Terry Boot again. He had been bothering Neville for quite some time. Terry Boot was a Ravenclaw and insanely smart, but he was the sort of person who bragged abouthis grades and made fun of those who did poorly in class. "Finally found something that you're good at? I doubt it." Terry pushed Neville face-first into the plant and walked off.

Neville muttered a spell to get rid of the plant juices that now covered his face. He frowned as the bell rang for him to leave Herbology and picked up his bag. A slip of paper fell out.

_Bullies got you down? Help will come at 8 pm in the medical section of the library. This is not a joke! Don't tell anyone._

Reading the note, he decided that he might as well. The worst that could happen would be that it would beTerry again, in which case he would deal with the consequences.

* * *

Hermione Granger was on her way to return Neville's toad _again_, when she found a tiny note sticking out of one of the many books in her bag. "What's this?" she muttered to herself. She carefully pulled it out and unfolded it. 

_Want to help others? Then, come to the medical section of the library at 8 pm. Tell no one._

"Well, then." She pondered the note. Who could have written this note? And why? How was this going to help others? And how did whoever had written the note know that she wanted to help others? "There's only one way to find out."

* * *

The days had gone by in a blur for Draco. After his meeting with Mandy, he had decided that working on finding people who could help. So far, he had only found one person who was intelligent enough. Hermione Granger seemed too smart for her own good at first glance. Under close scrutiny however, she was just brainy and surprisingly kind. He had decided quickly that she could, and probably would, help him and whoever needed help. She was just that kind of person. 

He had gotten Mandy's note the same day as everyone else, although he had been hoping for an earlier time.

_There is a lot of **help**ful information in the **medical section of the library**. So far, I've found **8** books. One is by **P**yg **M**alion. It's really interesting. It includes **codes** that were used during times of war to gather medical supplies. Even **Crabbe and Goyle** might like that one although I doubt it. They would probably just **fall asleep**._

The code she had used was simple enough for Draco to understand without knowing at first that it was in code. Crabbe and Goyle, however, would never suspect a thing. He smiled at the idea she had relayed. He already knew how he could get the potion.

* * *

Professor Snape had been worrying about his godson ever since the boy had arrived at Hogwarts with his two massive "bodyguards". Not the head of Slytherin for nothing, the teacher had already decided that they were spies for Lucius. He frowned at the thought of Lucius Malfoy as a parent. It was a sad state of affairs for his godson, but hadn't he always known that? 

He shrugged off his meditations as someone knocked at the door of his classroom. "Enter," he intoned, wondering who it was.

"Professor," began Draco.

"I was wondering when you would come see me," said Professor Snape, attempting a smile. "I've been worried about you. How are things with you and your father?"

Draco paused at this. "Not very good. That's why I've come to see you. First off, I was wondering if you had any sleeping potion that I could use. I need a way to lose Crabbe and Goyle for a while."

Snape nodded. "As a teacher, I should warn you that giving another student a potion on purpose is probably against the rules. I wouldn't know. I don't think they've been written down. But as your godfather, I feel no guilt whatsoever in giving this to you," he said, handing Draco a bottle the size of his hand. "A few drops should do, but I'm giving you the whole bottle for whatever escapades you go on. The effects last about four hours, but if you need more time, add some salt to it."

"Thank you. Secondly," he continued. "I was wondering if you could teach me Occlumency. I've been reading a lot about it, and I think that it might help me with father."

"Certainly," Snape said. "I assume that you don't want anyone to find out?" The boy shook his head. "Then you're smarter than your father would like to believe."

* * *

sheoflittleimportance - Thanks! Nice penname by the way. 

IvyLilac - What don't you get?

the dark seraphim - There are going to be several other people joining, but I haven't figured out how yet. I know Luna Lovegood is going to come in 2nd year, and Blaise might join, but I'm not sure about her.

ERMonkey, Burner of Cookies - Doing so. I've noticed a lot of repetition in your reviews. It's really funny.

youknowyouloveme9 - Thanks.

Grey Grim - Thanks for reminding me. Otherwise the story would have been forgotten like so many others.

Chatterpillar - Thanks.

Faerie of Serendipity - I am truly appalled that you haven't read/reviewed this yet. In other words, REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everybody else - REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And thanks for reading. Hope you liked it, but if not, you are free to read something else.


	6. Memo

Memo

To Whom It May Concern:

I was recently informed that Blaise Zabini is a guy. I would simply like to inform my informant and anybody else who has noticed this that this is fanfiction. It's about changing the story and answering the little voice in the back of your head that's always asking "What if?" What if Blaise Zabini was a girl? What if Blaise isn't a boy name in the first place? What if hardly anybody realized that it was supposed to be a boy name? What if?

What if I ended this memo right now to give the rest of you some peace and quiet until I write up the next chapter?

-Turtle,

Queen of Freeks

Supreme Ruler of Happy Frogs

Assistant Burner of Cookies

She of Psychotically Bright Colors

P.S.: Any help with coming up for the name of the club in this story would be greatly appreciated. My email address should be on my profile. Anybody who helps will be listed in the next chapter for being such NICE and CARING and COMPASSIONATE people.


	7. By Any Other Name

Disclaimer: This is certainly repetitive. Me no own HP! Me never own HP! Me start story now! YOU REVIEW!!!!!

Chapter 6

By Any Other Name

Hermione was the first to arrive. She sat at a table in the Herbology section, watching the Medical section. It appeared empty. She watched as Neville hurried in red-faced. He had obviously been running to get there on time. She got up and walked over to the aforementioned section.

"Are you the one who sent me that note?" she inquired suspiciously.

"No." Neville was almost scared. Hermione could get really scary when she felt like interrogating people.

"Did you get one too?"

"Yes."

"Where is it?"

"H-here." He pulled it out.

Hermione read it quickly and nodded. "Well, at least that explains a little bit. But who's giving out these notes?" Her question was answered as Draco Malfoy strode into their section. "Oh, no," Hermione said slowly. Since the beginning of the school year, she had thought that Draco was a rich jerk. She had heard that his father was the same way, so naturally she had assumed it was hereditary.

"Hello," Draco said. "I assume you have read your notes?"

"Were you the one that sent them?" Hermione asked suspiciously. She was getting really good at this being suspicious thing.

"Only one of them," he explained. "The mastermind behind all this sent the other one."

"I'm not the 'mastermind behind all this'!" interjected a voice behind them. It was Mandy Brocklehurst.

"So you _are _here," answered Draco, grinning maliciously. "I was about to start the meeting without you."

"Liar," Mandy said. "You couldn't handle the explanation, and somebody else needs to be here for them to trust you." She gestured at Hermione and Neville. "Now can we get on with this?"

"Certainly," said Hermione. "I've been waiting for the past fifteen minutes."

"Then you got here early," Draco pointed out. "It's only 8:05."

Hermione shut up. She hadn't wanted to give any more proof that she didn't trust them. It would be impolite, not to mention the fact that it would ruin her chances of a quick getaway.

"How to begin?" Mandy mused. "Well, everybody has problems in their life. Have you ever thought that there has to be some way to escape all of the teasing and the family problems and the rest of it? Other than suicide and running away, of course. That's just giving up. But what if there was another way?" She looked around the tiny circle they had formed as her speech gradually sunk in.

"Like what?" asked Neville.

"We're not sure yet," Mandy explained, "But we're willing to figure something out. It's probably different for everybody, because everybody has a different situation, personality, and comfort zone." She paused before continuing. "Neville, you were chosen, because you have to deal with teasing. We can find a way to help you, if you let us. It's your decision."

Neville thought through his first weeks at Hogwarts. He paused before nodding.

"Okay, then," said Mandy. She glanced at Draco.

"Hermione, you were chosen, because you like to help other people. You're also smart enough to help us come up with a plan. Are you in or not?"

Hermione had already thought it through. "Of course, I'm in. But what are we going to call this club thing?"

Nobody had really thought about that. It had seemed like they wouldn't need a name. They would just do what they needed to. But a name for themselves would help people understand. It would make them into an organization. They thought a while.

It was Neville who finally had an idea. "The Knights of the Chamomile Leaf?"

Everyone looked at him questioningly.

"Well, King Arthur had the Knights of the Round Table to protect the citizens of Camelot. And Chamomile is a healing plant. It's easy to get to, and it could be our symbol. Like if something bad happened, and we needed to tell everybody, we could send a crushed Chamomile leaf. Or if there was a meeting, we could send a note with the time and place along with a Chamomile leaf to prove who it's from."

Mandy nodded. "Sounds good to me. What about you two?" The others nodded.

"Okay," said Hermione. "But if we're going to be knights, we should at least be knighted." The others gave blank stares. "You know where somebody takes a sword and declares that you're a knight." The blank stares continued. "It's a ceremony that makes somebody an official knight," she said exasperatedly.

"Okay," said Mandy. "But who's going to knight us?"

"In King Arthur's time it was done by the king or queen," said Neville.

"Well, we don't want the whole school finding out about this," said Hermione, "and we don't know any kings or queens anyway. So who can we get to knight us?"

"There's Dumbledore," said Draco. "He's sort of like the king of the school, and he could refer people to us. He wouldn't lead us; he would just stand back and give us ideas and possibly members."

"But how are we supposed to ask him?" asked Hermione.

"I know where his office is," said Neville. "And the password."

"How?" asked Mandy.

Neville turned pink. "He's sort of helping me with a few of my classes."

Mandy spoke next. "So we'll meet by his office sometime and explain this to him. But this has to remain a secret."

"Why?" asked Hermione.

"Otherwise, the problems that we're trying to escape will be found out," explained Draco quietly, thinking of what would happen if Lucius found out what he was planning. "And that could ruin quite a few plans."

"So when are we going to meet?" asked Neville.

"How about tomorrow night at 8?" asked Mandy. Everybody nodded. "So where _is_ his office?"

"You know that statue of a griffin on the 1st floor?" The others nodded. "That's where you have to say the password. I'll meet you there."

Mandy continued, "Any other orders of business? No? Then let's leave before we get in trouble for being out so late." The children said their goodbyes and left for their dormitories.


	8. Knighthood

Disclaimer: Haven't we been through this enough? I don't own Harry Potter or any of his little copyrighted friends/enemies/teachers/people in the books that he doesn't even know!!! I'm just trying to write a story. And in this story, Blaise Zabini is a girl. I realize that in the books, Blaise is a boy. I don't really care. She's only a minor character at the moment anyway, so it doesn't really matter.

I don't own the Smithsonian Institute either. Nor have I been there unfortunately.

Chapter 7

Knighthood

Mandy was first to arrive at the statue. She stared at it for a while. The griffin's feathers had been carved in intricate detail. It almost looked alive. She promptly began a staring contest with the statue to pass the time while she waited for the others. It was better than thinking about their organization's future. She had recently found that in all the books she read the heroes always kept their mind on their task instead of grimacing at their future. She had also noted that the heroes who were best at this died terrible deaths, but she decided to ignore that last fact.

Her eyes began to water. She almost blinked. She imagined how she must look, standing face to face with the statue trying hard not to blink. At this she laughed. Unfortunately, she also blinked. At that she laughed harder. And that was how Draco found her: laughing her head off at an imposing statue of a griffin.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Well, I was having a staring contest with the statue to pass the time, and . . ." He stared at her with a "are you nuts?" look on his face. "Never mind," she muttered, hoping that she didn't seem too crazy. Being a little crazy was perfectly fine, especially considering the fact that they were visiting a man known far and wide to be eccentric, but there was a definite limit to good insanity. "So have you thought of any possible new members? Or, even better, a place for our meetings?"

Draco shook his head. "Sorry."

"Oh, well. Maybe Dumbledore will have some ideas."

"I certainly hope so," responded Draco, "because we're starting to run out of them."

Mandy nodded sadly. She was thinking of what her parents would think of her latest quest. Her mom would probably think that it was a fantastic idea, but her dad would most likely wonder what she was doing helping people that, as far as he was concerned, were evil. She sighed. "I hope he agrees to do this. He might even be able to help us with the rest of it. You have to admit: he'd be a valuable resource."

Draco nodded. "Even my dad would be scared of him. You-know-who is."

"Really? I never knew that."

"Yeah. He probably went to Hogwarts and had Dumbledore for a teacher."

Mandy was still contemplating this when Hermione walked up to them.

"You're early," she said, pointing at them.

"So are you," Draco pointed out. "And it's rude to point." Hermione lowered her finger quickly. "Besides, I wanted to get away from Crabbe and Goyle as soon as possible."

Hermione stared at him. "You mean they're not really your bodyguards?"

"They're his dad's spies," explained Mandy.

"So you're trying to escape . . . oh," she said as though she understood.

"He doesn't beat me, if that's what you think," Draco said quickly. "He's just an extremely manipulative Death Eater."

"My deepest sympathies," said Hermione, looking uncomfortable. And thus they waited in awkward silence, until Neville arrived.

"Am I late?" asked Neville.

"No, we're just early," Mandy assured him. "So what's the password?"

"Sherbet lemon," he said, calming down a little. The griffin statue turned and rose, revealing a stone staircase. They hurried up it into a room that could have been a museum for all the strange objects inside.

"Do we wait here or go inside?" asked Hermione, pointing at the wooden door in front of them.

"I don't know," said Neville. The tiny bit that he had calmed down was now swallowed up by his usual nervousness times ten. "Usually the door's open."

"Well, we can't just stand here," said Mandy impatiently. She strode up to the door and knocked.

"How rude!" exclaimed the door. Mandy jumped back nearly a foot. "Did it ever occur to you that I have feelings? That for some inexplicable reason I don't like being hit by a little brat in a tacky uniform?"

"Hey!" interjected Mandy. "I hate to break up your little pity party, but we didn't know that you were alive. Excuse me if we're used to doors just sitting there all day without talking or yelling or ranting! We're just here to see Professor Dumbledore." Mandy did not like getting called a brat, and she certainly didn't like being called little. She was short for her age, and she hated it when people pointed it out.

"Oh, you're here to see the headmaster," said the door happily. "Why didn't you just say so?" The door opened.

"Who else would we be knocking for?" asked Mandy. She was still mad about being called little, and no amount of sucking up would make her feel any better about it.

"Oh, I forgot what strange customs you humans have," the door said, as though shrugging the whole incident off. Mandy opened her mouth to say something else, but Neville clapped a hand over her mouth. The children hurried in before Mandy incurred the door's wrath once more.

"And tell him that Gloria says hello!" cried the door before closing behind them.

Neville removed his hand from Mandy's mouth. "Of all the—" She looked around the room. "Whoa." If the last room had been like a museum, this one must have been the Smithsonian of rooms. On a shelf to their right was the Sorting Hat, which appeared to greet them in its own strange way. To their left was a phoenix sitting on its perch. It started singing when it saw them. Draco guessed that it was calling Dumbledore. The others just listened and stared in awe, almost forgetting why they had come.

"Hello," said Dumbledore.

"Hello, Professor," they answered.

"Sir, we were wondering if you could knight us," said Mandy. "We started this group called the Knights of the Chamomile Leaf, and we thought that you could knight us, seeing as you're the headmaster and all." For once, Mandy appeared nervous. Usually she was too busy thinking or being mad at doors or starting staring contests with statues to even consider being nervous.

"And what exactly is this group going to do?" asked Dumbledore.

"Well, we were planning on helping other students deal with problems at home or with teasing," answered Draco. "Sort of like a support group that does more than just listen."

"As long as you stick to the rules, I have no problem with it," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It sounds like a noble idea."

"And we were also wondering if you would be able to refer students to us that we could help or would like to help," continued Mandy. "We're also looking for a meeting place, so we don't have to keep meeting in the library or by the lake."

"I'll be sure to be on the lookout for students who would like to join your organization," answered Dumbledore. "As to a meeting place, there's always the Room of Requirement."

"The what?" asked Mandy.

"Neville can show you," answered the ancient professor. Neville nodded proudly. He liked helping the others. It made him feel like he was smarter than everybody thought he was. "Well, then, I think it's about time that you were all knighted," the headmaster continued, pulling out a sword. "Who wants to go first?"

Everybody looked at Mandy. Draco pushed her forward. "You _are _the mastermind behind this all," he said when she gave him a look.

"Okay, then," said Dumbledore briskly as Mandy knelt. "Do you, Mandy Brocklehurst, swear loyalty to this school and its students?"

"Yes, sir," she responded.

"Do you swear to help these students in any way you can?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do you swear to protect these students in the face of danger?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then, I dub thee Sir Mandy, Knight of the Chamomile Leaf." He tapped her shoulders and head with the flat edge of the sword. "Serve honorably and well." She rose.

Next went Neville, because being knights had been his idea. After him came Hermione, because she had insisted on being knighted. Last went Draco.

"So you are all Knights of the Chamomile Leaf now," said Dumbledore. "Do you feel any different?"

"Not really," admitted Hermione. The others shook their heads.

"Because you aren't," explained Dumbledore. "You're just official now. You'd be surprised how often people make being official into a bigger deal than it is." The students nodded. "Now, you should probably be getting back to your dormitories. Here are a few shortcuts." He pointed at some doors behind them. Each was marked with the name of a different house. "They will bring you in front of the entrance to whatever house it says on the door. Good night."

"Good night, Professor," they answered as they walked through their different doors.


	9. The Room of Requirement

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has anything even remotely to do with Harry Potter except a few books and a poster.

Chapter 8

The Room of Requirement

Mandy spent a few minutes in the Ravenclaw common room that night writing up notes for her fellow knights, so they would be ready to be sent the following morning. But where to meet? She had no idea where this room of requirement was. Only Neville and Professor Dumbledore did. Assuming that Neville would be able to lead them, she finished writing.

_Outside the Great Hall after dinner. Neville will lead the way._

Draco read his note. It had a leaf with it that he assumed was Chamomile. They hadn't done very much with it in Herbology, because it was a Muggle plant. Wondering where the Room of Requirement was, not to mention what it was, he meandered to Transfiguration.

* * *

Hermione read her note silently and tucked the leaf into her pocket. She would have to read a bit, but she was almost certain that she could grow her own Chamomile plant from the leaf. Lots of plants had leaves that contained their seeds. She hoped that Chamomile was one of them. It would be useful if she had to send notes to her fellow knights.

* * *

Neville squirmed nervously during dinner. It took a few looks from Hermione to keep him from running out of the Great Hall. He was worried about leading the others to the Room of Requirement. What if he forgot where it was? What if it didn't show up this time? What if he got them lost on the way? What if . . .? He tried not to worry. He tried to concentrate on what he was doing. He could barely eat, which was very strange for Neville. He looked up. Dinner was over. He took a deep breath and left the Great Hall.

* * *

Crabbe and Goyle were still hungry after eating about fifty drum sticks and a few pies. They decided that they could leave the young Malfoy to his own devices for an hour or so while they stayed and ate.

* * *

The knights met outside the Great Hall, where they pretended not to notice each other. Mandy gestured to Neville to lead the way. The others followed him through a maze of hallways and corridors, over stairs that shifted at odd times, until they finally arrived in a hallway with no doors. "This is the spot," said Neville nervously. "But you have to think of what you want. The Room of Requirement only shows up when somebody really wants or needs something."

Draco nodded. "So we just think of a safe place where we can talk without anybody hearing."

"With secret passageways to our dormitories," added Mandy. "So we don't get caught wandering the school in the middle of the night." The others nodded and thought.

"We should probably walk past this spot a few times," said Neville. "So it has enough time to change." The others nodded and started walking. The first time past, there was nothing. The same for the second and third times, but the fourth time, they saw a door that almost blended into the wall.

"Perfect," said Mandy, smiling as she pushed on the door (There was no doorknob.). Unlike the door in Dumbledore's office, this one didn't talk. Inside the room was a large chalkboard that took up an entire wall, a table with several chairs, an enormous bookshelf with books on all sorts of useful things (including a book on the history of King Arthur and his knights), a padded area that looked like a martial arts practice area, four doors with pictures of each house's animal, and in a dark corner, a sheaved sword for each of them engraved with their names and a picture of a leaf.

"Whoa," said Neville as he picked up his sword. It was made to be just the right weight for someone who had never used a sword before. He tested it out, attempting to lunge at an invisible opponent.

Hermione was busy staring at the books. "Look at all this! There are books about everything! The Complete Unabridged Guide to Healing; Swordplay for the Young Witch or Wizard; Hexes for the Cursed; How to Become a Black Belt in Less Than a Year! This is perfect!"

Mandy looked around in awe. "There's space for everything we would need to do! Battle planning, learning to fight, probably healing, too!"

Draco had been examining the board. He tried to pick up a piece of chalk. It evaded him. Apparently this was one of those boards that you only needed to dictate to. The chalk began writing at the top of the board: _The Knights of the Chamomile Leaf_. "Whoa." Luckily the board was smart enough not to write what everyone was saying. That would be pointless. Draco tried to get everybody's attention. "Hey, are we going to start this meeting or not?" The others ignored him. "Hello?" The chalkboard made a sound like someone scratching it with fingernails. Everyone stared at Draco. "Are we going to start this meeting or not?"

Mandy was the first to recover from her previous awe. "Right. Everyone take a seat." Hermione and Neville hurried to sit down. Draco had sat down when Mandy began speaking. "Well, first off, do any of you have any ideas to solve anyone's problems?"

Draco raised his hand. "Well, Neville could study here, and we could help him with his school work. But eventually, you're going to end up in a fight with Terry Boot, Neville."

"I know," answered Neville.

"And we could all learn self defense from the books here," said Mandy.

"Along with healing," added Hermione. "But we would need a teacher to learn how to fight."

At that moment, Nearly Headless Nick walked through a wall into the room. "Sorry I'm late."

"W-what are you doing here?" asked Neville. He was rather afraid of ghosts.

"You mentioned a teacher?" The knights nodded. "Well, I was a knight. I can teach you swordplay, and _this_—" He pulled out a ghost that looked like a thief. "—Can teach you how to fight like a common criminal." He gave the thief a disgusted look.

"Will Smithies at your service," the thief said with a mocking bow. "I doubt ya know much 'bout fightin' then?"

"Hardly anything," answered Mandy sadly.

"Then, ya haven't learned any bad habits," replied the thief, still maintaining his good mood. "I hope none of ya are 'fraid of ghosts," he continued. "Cuz if ya are, yer out of luck. I ain't gettin' any more alive." Neville gulped. "I s'pose yer the one with bully trouble?" he asked Neville. Not waiting for an answer, he continued, "I can see why. Ya don' look very tough." Neville looked embarrassed. "An' I'm guessin' ya ain't." Looking at the others, he said, "The rest of ya could use a lesson er two 'bout fightin' as well. So when'm I gonna start teachin' ya?"

"Well, it's too late to start tonight," answered Draco. "So how about next week?" Looking at the others he said, "We can have meetings three times a week. First meeting of the week, Sir Nicholas can teach us how to use our swords." Nearly Headless Nick puffed up at being called Sir Nicholas. He was so used to the jokes about his head.

"Don' worry," muttered Will Smithies. "Ye'll always be Nearly Headless ta me." Nick glared at the thief.

"Second meeting of the week, Mr. Smithies can teach us how to fight."

"Oy! Call me Will. I ain't goin' fer any of that 'Mr. Smithies' hogwash," interjected the thief.

"Then, the third meeting, we can study. We can do our planning at the beginning of each meeting. Sound good?"

The others nodded. "Which days of the week are good for everybody?" asked Mandy. "We'll keep the time at 8 o'clock, so everybody has time to get here."

"I have special help sessions on Thursdays," said Neville.

"How about Mondays, Wednesdays, and Sundays?" replied Mandy. "That way, everybody has Friday and Saturday free to do whatever, and there's enough time to get all of our homework done."

"Sounds good to me," answered Hermione. "Now, we had better get going. Do all of you remember the way here?" The others nodded. "Then, we'll meet here starting next week every Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday. Send a note if you can't come."

The knights said their goodbyes to each other and the ghosts as they exited the Room of Requirement. It seemed as though everything would go well for their new group.


	10. Lessons

Disclaimer: I don't own HP. If you're looking to buy it, go bug JKR, cuz I DO NOT OWN HP!!!!! Never have. Never will. Just thought that I'd clear that thing up considering there's obviously SOMEBODY out there that doesn't understand that I DO NOT OWN HP!!!!! I repeat: I DO NOT OWN HP!!!!! Understood? Good. (OO! I rhymed!!!)

Chapter 9

Lessons

The knights went through the next few days in what can only be described as a haze of anticipation. Neville in particular was much happier than usual. He couldn't wait to learn to use his sword. He was finally on the path to becoming like one of King Arthur's knights. He had read as much as he could about them, and he had tried to pattern his life after theirs. Becoming a real knight had put him back on the path to being what could only be referred to as valiant. During those few days until the next meeting, Neville took to staring off into space during classes, daydreaming about going on brave adventures with the Knights of Camelot. The thought that his knighthood was supremely different from that of the Knights of the Round Table never crossed his mind. If it did, he ignored it.

* * *

Mandy spent the next few days zooming through her homework. If any of her teachers noticed that her essays were slightly less than her usual skill, they didn't say anything, although she could have sworn that Professor McGonagall had given her a reproachful look as she left the classroom. She began to spend more and more time in the library, researching meditation. She was still looking for a way to get away from the stress of the day, and meditation sounded like an interesting way to do that.

Surprisingly, meditation was in the Muggle Studies section. Mandy grabbed a few books on meditation and proceeded to the checkout line. When the librarian (whose name Mandy could never remember) turned over the books to read the titles, she gave Mandy a quizzical look. When Mandy ignored this, she proceeded to write down the titles and Mandy's name in a large book and handed the books back to her silently. Mandy quickly took the books and walked to Ravenclaw tower. She hurried into her common room where she almost leapt into a large squishy chair far from the fire. Looking through the books she had grabbed, she noticed one that wasn't on meditation. She curiously read the title: Many Paths: Wicca. Intrigued by the title, she began to read.

* * *

Draco began to spend more and more time sneaking away from Crabbe and Goyle to think by the lake. He had been wondering for quite some time if his father had ever cared about him in the slightest. Being the depressing topic that it was, it ruled his thoughts. Not sure he wanted to know the answer, he avoided it by spending more time wondering about the future of the Knights of the Chamomile Leaf.

* * *

Hermione had spent her time throwing herself into her schoolwork and, in the empty spaces of the day, wondering about who else in the school had problems like her fellow knights. She had yet to discover anyone else. But of course people worked hard to avoid anyone else realizing that their lives aren't nearly as nice as everyone would like to think.

* * *

At the Room of Requirement, Mandy found the door already there. She hadn't been visualizing anything, so she assumed that one of the others was already there. She pushed the door open to find Draco reading a book on healing. "Anything in there for headaches," she asked in a friendly tone, perching on the arm of his cushiony chair.

"Yeah." He flipped to a page towards the beginning of the book. "Right here." He pointed to a page.

Mandy read it quickly. "Cool!" She paused as he returned to his reading. "I can't wait to learn how to use a sword. Can you? I mean it just sounds like so much fun, and hanging out with Sir Nicholas is never a bad thing. Except he's always calling me Madeline." She shuddered.

"Better than Draco," replied Draco. Mandy nodded thoughtfully.

Hermione pushed the door open. "Hey." The others greeted her as she joined them. "Neville still hasn't gotten here yet? I wonder what's keeping him."

At that moment, Neville pushed open the door, looking out of breath. "Sorry I'm late. Terry Boot started chasing me in the hallways again. I just barely lost him."

"Now we just have to wait for Sir Nicholas," said Mandy. "Does everyone have their swords?" Draco and Hermione nodded. Neville turned red.

"I forgot mine," he said. "I left it here." Mandy pointed in the corner to her left. There was his sword, gleaming in the shadows. "Thanks."

Sir Nicholas appeared through the wall. "Today I have the pleasure of teaching you the proper way to hold your sword. Let us begin."

* * *

It was a few hours later that four exhausted knights climbed into bed after a long night of swordplay. Let us ignore the fact that none of them were very over the age of twelve.

* * *

That Wednesday night, the same small knights could be found learning punches and kicks in the Room of Requirement from the ghost of a thief by the name of Will Smithies who had choked on a peanut sometime during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

That next Sunday, the knights studied together.

* * *

In the meantime, Mandy began to study Wicca. Apparently it was the Muggle version of magic. Reading some of the history involved, she almost cried at the pointless deaths that had been caused by the Church. Women who healed others had been killed to gain the male doctors more money. Cats had been killed for being "witch's consorts". This had raised the death toll during the Black Plague when rats had helped spread disease. But when she read of the theory behind Wicca, she saw no evil in it. She began to research the subject and quickly understood the title. There are many paths.

* * *

Paprika the Blondie-Nice to know that you're actually reading this story now. And Freekish doesn't always mean hyperactively weird. It's . . . just plain different. It has no limits.

ERMonkey, Burner of Cookies-Hooray for your project board! And I happen to be doing so. At this point, I don't need you reminding me to update. And I may have a story you can help Preston and me with. E-mail me.

Sheoflittleimportance-Thanks. I think there's going to be a cutter, and Draco is going to be abused by his DE dad. Other than that, I don't know yet.


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